Chris Wilder is delighted to have made an early move to bolster his squad ahead of the transfer window re-opening.

Everton's Kieron Dowell has joined United on-loan for the rest of the campaign, in a deal which will commence next month, and Wilder is confident Dowell will have a positive impact in the coming weeks.

The Blades boss remarked: "We tried to sign Kieran in the summer when David (Brooks) left, he's a talented player, left-footed, brings a balance to the group and gives us competition at the top of the pitch.

"He's had a great loan at Nottingham Forest last season and he was in and around the first-team at Everton in the summer when we tried to make a move then.

"We've been persistent, we've watched him, I went up to Scotland to watch him for England U21s and he's a talented footballer who wants to play games."

Wilder added: "We're looking for him to replicate what he did at Forest and hopefully a little bit more, we feel Kieran will had goals and assists to the group.

"He knows the division and he's been a regular in a really talented England U21 group. The fact he's in that squad and stayed in there speaks volumes about what they think of him.

"He understands what the division is about and the competitiveness of it, I'm confident Kieran is a good fit for us and we will be a good fit for him."